143 flood insurance claims·$817,184 paid·3 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around LaPorte County, Indiana. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
16% of LaPorte County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
108 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 4 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 1993, with 22 claims and $236,259 paid.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
6 NOAA storm reports from LaPorte County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Indiana flood stories →
17 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Feb 14, 2018 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Mar 8, 2009 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 12, 2008 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jan 7, 2008 |
| Snow | Feb 12, 2007 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Flooding | Jan 1, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
11 since 1996: 7 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jul 19, 2025 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Feb 20, 2018 | $500,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 18, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 26, 2013 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 28, 2009 | $250,000 |
| Flood | Sep 13, 2008 | $500,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jan 8, 2008 | $150,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 27, 2006 | $50,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jul 19, 2025. An Mesoscale Convective Vortex moved through the US 30 corridor resulting in flooding rain on its northern edge. The Northern Indiana NWS office recorded 0.72 of rain in just under 15 minutes. Rain totals of 3 to nearly 5 inches was common in La Porte, St. Joseph, Elkhart, De Kalb, and Noble Counties.
Flood · Feb 20, 2018. A slow release of a snow pack, containing one to over two inches of water, occurred in the days leading to the event which started the process of river rises in many areas. Low pressure tracked from northwest Iowa into northern Lower Michigan, which ushered in a rapid warmup and equally rapid release of any remaining water in the snow-pack. Several rounds of rain occurred between the 19th and 21st of February acro…
Flash Flood · Jul 18, 2015. Weak shortwave trough moving through upper Michigan combined with retreating outflow boundary from morning/early afternoon storms, which moved through northern Indiana/northwest Ohio, spurned new storm development from southern Wisconsin southeast through northeast Illinois by later afternoon. Storms were initially sub-severe and disorganized, but two main bowing segments, one along and north of the Interstate 80/…
Flash Flood · Jun 26, 2013. An upper level disturbance moved through the region during the late afternoon and early evening hours. Strong shear, instability and steep mid level lapse rates all combined with the wave to produce numerous thunderstorms across Illinois. These storms moved into northern Indiana and continued to expand. Several reports of damaging winds were received along with some hail.
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in LaPorte County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.